Rail-traversing truck.



L. H. FLANDERS.-

RAIL TBAVERSING TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED arm. so, 1908.

Patented Aug. 1, 1911. I

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES.

ATTORNEY IN FACT.

CDWIIIIA PLANOGIAPH a wuumm. B C- L. H. FLANDERS.

RAIL TBAVBRSING TRUCK.

APPLICATION Hum arm. so, 1908.

Patented Aug. 1-, 1911.

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COLUMBIA PLANMmi i-OO WASHINGTON. D. C

L. H. FLANDERS. RAIL TRAVERSING TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. so, 1908.

Patented Aug. 1, 1911.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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K LA 121M A TTORNEY IN FACT.

WITNESSES.-

Q B M a m u n W 0 c n P A R u 0 W P M a m L 0 c L. H. FLANDERS.

RAIL TRAVERSING TRUCK.

APPLIOATION FILED sqrtr. so, 1908.

Patented Aug. 1, 1911.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

' FIN! NTOR.

-- BY I XA MATIfORNEY IN FACT.

COLUMBIA PLANOCIRAPH (20., WASHINGTON, D- C.

L. H. PLANDERS. RAIL 'rmvsnsme TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1908. 999 ,7-Q9 Patented Aug. 1, 1911.

' 6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

L. H. FLANDERS.

BAIL TRAVERSING TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. so, 1903. 999 ,709, Patented Aug. 1, 1911.

6 sums-SHEET e.

WVENTOR. #gm

ATTORNEY IN FACT.

WITNESSES:

I 9 I v irn STATES rn rnr no.

LOUIS H. FLANDERS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE ELECTRIC STORAGE BATTERY COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENN- SYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

RAIL-TRAVERSING TRUCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 30, 1908.

Patented Aug. 1, 1911.

Serial No. 455,490.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS H. FLANDERS, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have made a new and useful Invention in Rail-TraversingTrucks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to self-propelled rail-traversing trucks and hasfor an object the production of a four-wheeled truck of large carryingcapacity and so constructed that the driving mechanism is locatedentirely below the freight carrying platform.

A further object is the production of a rail-traversing truck ofrelatively wide wheel bases which will round curves without materiallyincreasing the rolling friction.

These and other objects I attain in an apparatus embodying the featuresherein described and illustrated in the drawings accompanying thisapplication and forming a part thereof.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a partial side and partial sectionalelevation of a truck embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe truck shown in Fig. 1 with a portion of the freight carryingplatform removed for convenience of illustration; Fig. 3 is a plan viewof a portion of the truck and illustrates an arrangement of the pilotwheels; Fig. 4 is a section along the line AA of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is asection along the line BB of Fig. 3; and, Fig. 6 is a diagrammaticillustration showing the relative positions of the wheels with respectto the truck when the truck is rounding a curve.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, I employ a truck in whichone pair of wheels is journaled in bearings fixed to the frame of thetruck, and the other pair is journaled in a swivel frame which ispivotally secured to a swinging frame, the latter being laterallymovable across the frame of the truck.

Referring to the drawings: The truck is provided with a frame 8 built upof I-beams and angles, a pair of driving wheels 9, journaled in bearingsfixedly mounted on the frame, and a pair of pilot wheels 10, journaledin a swivel frame 11, which is pivot-- ally secured to a swinging frame12. The frame 8 supports a freight carrying platform 13, an electricmotor 14, for operating the driving wheels 9, and a storage battery 15,for supplying current to the motor. The battery and motor are bothlocated below the freight carrying platform.

The driving wheels 9 are rigidly mounted on a driving axle 16, which isjournaled at each end in bearings 17, fixedly mounted on the frame 8 ofthe truck. The motor 14 is belted or otherwise swung from the frame 8and drives the axle 16 through a chain of driving gears. The cells ofthe storage battery 15 are assembled in two groups, one of which islocated ahead of the pilot wheels. Access may be had to the battery byremoving portions of the freight carrying platform.

The pilot wheels 10 are rigidly mounted on an axle 18 which is journaledat each end in bearings 19 fixedly mounted on the swivel frame 11. Theframe 11 is secured by means of a king pin 20 to a plate 21, which issecured to the swinging frame 12. The frame 12 is adapted to swing,through the arc of a circle, laterally across the frame 8 of the truck.In accomplishing this I provide the plate 21 with rollers 22 whichcooperate with the vertical flanges of inverted T-bars 23, in guidingthe swinging frame in its lateral motion across the frame 8 of thetruck. The T-bars 23 are curved to form segments of concentric circles,the center of which is located above the axis of rotation of the drivingwheels and midway between the wheels.

An ample bearing 24 is provided between the swivel frame 11 and theswinging frame 12, for the purpose of permitting the axle 18 of thepilot wheels 10 to turn freely about the king pin 20. An ample bearing25, located between the frame 12 and the frame 8, and the rollers 22 areemployed to reduce the friction, between the swinging frame 12 and theframe 8, to a minimum. The bearings 24 and 25 may be replaced by ballbearings if desirable.

With the construction illustrated the king pin and the frame 12 arecapable of swing ing freely across the frame 8 of the truck in the arcof a circle and the swivel frame 11 is capable of swinging freely aboutthe king pin 20. Two sets of springs 26 are located between the frame 12and the frame portion 8, and are so arranged that when the swingingframe is moved laterally, relative to the frame 8, from its normal orcentral position, one set of springs 26 is always thrown into tensionand operates to return it to the normal position. The wheels 9 and 10are each flanged on the outside instead of the inside, as is usuallycustomary, and the thread is conical, its shortest diameter beinglocated adjacent to the flange.

The operation of the truck is as follows: W hile the truck is operatingon a tangent piece of track, the swinging frame 12 is in the normalposition and the pin 20 and roll ers 22 are located centrally of theways and of the frame 8 of the truck. The flanges of the pilot wheels,while the wheels are r0ll ing along straight track, cause the axle ofthe wheels to extend at right angles to the rails. Since the swing frameand conse quently the king pin 20 are in their normal position, the axisof the car is parallel to the track and consequently the driving wheels9 follow the rails and their axle 16 extends at right angles to therails. Let it be supposed that the pilot wheels 10 are leading, that is,are in advance of the driving wheels 9, and that the truck encounters acurve in the track, such as is illustrated in Fig. (3. Under suchconditions the inertia of the truck will tend to cause the frame of thetruck to continue in the direction of the original motion, that is, in astraight line. The flanges of the pilot wheels 10 will, however, causethe wheels 10 to follow the curvature of the track and to move theswivel and the swinging frame laterally of the frame 8. As the truckcontinues around the curve the lateral or tangential displacement of theforward end of the truck, relative to the swinging frame or the pilotwheels, will continue to increase until one set of springs 26, inconjunction with the reaction of the flange of the inside driving wheel9 against the inside rail, overcomes the inertia or the tangentialforce. The flanges and the coning of the pilot wheels cause the axle toturn about the king pin 20 and occupy radial positions relative to thecurvature of the track, during the rounding of a curve, and consequentlythey will not materially increase the rolling friction. The springs 26,which are thrown into tension by the lateral displacement of the forwardend of the frame 8, relieves the pressure of the flange of the insidewheel 9 against the inside rail, by overcoming, to some extent the forcedue to inertia of the truck and by drawing the forward end of the frameinwardly against the tangential force. This causes the axle 16 to assumea substantially radial position and consequently the driving wheels rollfreely around the curve. The coning of the driving wheels assists inreducing the rolling friction as it tends to cause the wheels to rollfreely in a curve. When the truck has passed around the curve and isagain on a stra1ghtpiece of track, the tension of the extended springs,together with the eflort of the flanges of the driving wheels to movethe driving axles to aposition at right angles to the rails, draws theforward end of the frame portion of the truck to normal position andthere is no force, while the truck is traversing a straight piece oftrack, which tends to displace it. The flanges of the wheels tend tomaintain the wheel axles at right angles to the track, and consequentlythe external forces exerted on the truck tend rather to maintain thetruck in the normal position relative to the king pin and the swingframe.

Upon approaching a curve with the pilot wheels following the drivingwheels, the flange of the inside driving wheel tends to laterallydisplace the rear end of the truck by crowding the inside rail. Thiseffort is supplemented by the coning of the wheels, which causes them totend to follow the rails while rolling around a curve. Bis soon as thetruck has advanced far enough around the curve for the rear end to beaffected by the tangential force, the effort of the wheel flange todisplace the rear end of the truck tan entially is supplemented and evenreplaced by the inertia or the tangential force of the truck. This forceswings the rear end of the truck 8 outwardly and relieves the pressureof the flange of the inside driving wheel against the inside rail byturning the driving axle to a radial position relative to the curvatureof the track. The lateral displacement of the rear end of the frame 8throws one set of the springs 26 into tension. The strength of thesprings is so adjusted as to prevent the inertia or the tangential forcefrom causing too great a displacement of the frame. This tendency isalso resisted by the flange of the outside driving wheel which after thetruck has been turned through a certain angle, variable and dependentupon the curvature of the track, resists, by crowding the outer rail, afurther displacement and tends to swing the rear end of the frameinwardly. By properly adjusting the springs and proportioning thedifferent parts of the truck the rolling friction on curves may bematerially decreased below that ordinarily encountered so that itis notmuch higher than that encountered on straight track.

With the construction described the wheels require a minimum amount ofspace andconsequently there is sufficient space under the freightcarrying platform of the truck in which to install the operatingmechanisms of the truck.

The truck may be provided with more than one pair of fixed wheels solong as the center of the fixed wheel base is maintained at the centerof oscillation of the swiveled truck, and the swivel truck may beprovided with two pairs of wheels if desired. Inside flanged Wheels maybe substituted for the outside flanged wheels at the expense ofefficiency, since the crowding and binding action of the inside flangeswill be more severe than encountered with outside flanges.

Various arrangements may be employed without departing from the spirt ofmy invention.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I havedescribed the principle of operation of my invention, together with theapparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof,but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is onlyillustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

IV hat I claim is:

1. In combination, in a rail traversing truck, driving wheels fixedlyattached at or near one end of the truck, bogie wheels arranged at ornear the other end of the truck, a swinging frame to which said bogiewheels are freely pivoted, a constraining grooved guide-way foraffording the frame a range of movement transversely of the truck,springs for centering the frame, and a battery and a motor arrangedunder the truck and spaced in respect to the wheels substantially asdescribed.

2. In combination in a truck, driving wheels fixedly attached to thetruck, bogie wheels, a frame to which the bogie wheels are freelypivoted and a guide groove carried by the truck to provide constrainedlateral motion for the frame.

3. In a rail traversing truck, the combination of driving wheels fixedlyattached to the truck, a single pair of outside flanged Wheels and meansfor supporting the truck on the last named wheels, said means adapted toprovide independent pivotal and lateral motions.

4:. In a truck, the combination of driving wheels fixedly attached tothe truck, bogie wheels pivotally mounted on a frame laterally movablein relation to the truck, and springs opposing the lateral motion of theframe.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th dayof Sep tember, 1908.

LOUIS H. FLANDERS. \Vitnesses:

CHARLES W. MGGHEE, E. W. MoCALLIs'rnR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

